Antitrust and Trade

A company's very survival can depend on its choice of a qualified antitrust and trade regulation lawyer. These laws are complex, ambiguous, and subject to constant changes in enforcement policy. Antitrust issues frequently are so fundamental to the strategic goals of our clients that the risk of being overly cautious is frequently as great as the risk of violating the legal requirements. The key is a lawyer who combines detailed legal knowledge and practical experience. Our antitrust and trade regulation lawyers provide advocacy on behalf of our clients before courts and regulatory agencies, as well as counseling that is provided with the perspective of their litigation experience.

We routinely represent clients in litigation involving issues such as price fixing, group boycotts, market leveraging, price discrimination and dealer relations (including dealer termination cases). Since this type of litigation is expensive and time consuming, it is our philosophy to try to resolve these disputes early through mediation or other alternative dispute resolution vehicles. If, however, we are unable to achieve a reasonable result in this manner for our clients, we have well-trained and experienced trial lawyers capable of successfully litigating any such case to its conclusion.

Our agency practice includes the representation of clients in merger and acquisition cases, handling of investigations by federal and state regulatory agencies, and obtaining advisory "business review letters" concerning prospective transactions.

We counsel clients on compliance with the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act, and prepare HSR submissions to secure antitrust approval from the FTC and DOJ.

We are frequently involved in the business planning process, which helps our clients minimize the risks of legal challenges and their long-term costs. In addition to routinely counseling clients concerning antitrust issues, our lawyers actively assist clients to establish and maintain compliance and risk management programs. By working directly with our clients and tailoring our services to coordinate with their internal staffs, we help structure these programs in the manner best suited to economically and effectively reduce risks in this area.